Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Saturday, June 21, 2008
How to repay the debt we owe to our Parents
Narrated 'Abdullah:
I asked the Prophet "Which deed is the dearest to Allah?" He replied, "To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times." I asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To be good and dutiful to your parents" I again asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, 'To participate in Jihad (religious fighting) in Allah's cause." 'Abdullah added, "I asked only that much and if I had asked more, the Prophet would have told me more."
Sahih Al-Bukhari :Volume 3, Book 48, Number 822:
Narrated Abu Bakra:
The Prophet said thrice, "Should I inform you out the greatest of the great sins?" They said, "Yes, O Allah's Apostle!" He said, "To join others in worship with Allah and to be undutiful to one's parents." The Prophet then sat up after he had been reclining (on a pillow) and said, "And I warn you against giving a false witness, and he kept on saying that warning till we thought he would not stop.
Sahih Al-Bukhari :Volume 4, Book 52, Number 248:
Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr:
A man came to the Prophet asking his permission to take part in Jihad. The Prophet asked him, "Are your parents alive?" He replied in the affirmative. The Prophet said to him, "Then exert yourself in their service."
Sahih Al-Bukhari :Volume 8, Book 73, Number 4:
Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr:
Allah's Apostle said. "It is one of the greatest sins that a man should curse his parents." It was asked (by the people), "O Allah's Apostle! How does a man curse his parents?" The Prophet said, "'The man abuses the father of another man and the latter abuses the father of the former and abuses his mother."
Al-Muslim:Book 032, Number 6189:
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: Let him be humbled into dust; let him be humbled into dust. It was said: Allah's Messenger, who is he? He said: He who sees either of his parents during their old age or he sees both of them, but he does not enter Paradise.
Explanations:
we all are know that nothing a son normally does for his parents may be considered adequate repayment for the love and kindness they showed him when he was young. Indeed, parents love, care and kindness overflow throughout their lives.
It is possible, however, to be a dutiful child who tries hard to make his parents happy. We can achieve this better if we have a clear idea of how being dutiful compares with other Islamic duties. At the time of the Prophet (Pbuh), emigration to Madinah A man came to the Prophet (Pbuh) and said:
“I have come to pledge to you my loyalty and to emigrate. I have left my parents in tears. The Prophet (Pbuh) said to him: “Go back to them and make them smile as you have made them cry.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and others).
In other words, the Prophet (Pbuh) gave a very clear indication to the man that if his parents would be so miserable as to cry because he was leaving them in order to emigrate, then he was better off staying with them in order to make them happy. The Prophet (Pbuh) did not wish that sadness should be felt by parents as a result of a duty Islam required of its followers.
Someone may ask how does the Prophet (Pbuh) order someone not to emigrate, when emigration earns a great reward from Allah. The answer is that to be kind and dutiful to one’s parents can compensate for that. Consider this Hadith reported by Ibn Abbas:
“For any Muslim who has two Muslim parents and who goes to them every morning obeying their requests, Allah opens two doors to heaven. If he has one parent Allah opens one door to heaven for him. If he displeases either of them, Allah will not be pleased with him until that parent of his is pleased with him. Someone asked: Even when they are unjust to him? He answered: Even if they are unjust.” (Related by Al-Baihaqi and Al-Bukhari in “Al-Adab Al-Mufrad”).
This is another of the many ways in which the Prophet (Pbuh) explains to us that one of the surest ways to be admitted into heaven is to be a dutiful child. In this Hadith we are told that we must even tolerate injustice by our parents. There are certainly occasions when a parent may be unjust. If we can tolerate that injustice, then we should do so. But we should not obey them when their injustice is inflicted on someone else. In that case, we should counsel them against it. This is because injustice is forbidden. When we help them to do something forbidden, we are their partners in that. It is more dutiful to try to dissuade them from committing that injustice.
Where we must not obey our parents is when they order us to do something unlawful. If a parent commands a child of his to do something forbidden, then the child must not do it.
This shows how Islam takes a reasonable, practical and balanced attitude in looking after parents.
Introduction - What HADEES Means
A hadeeth may either confirm things that are mentioned in the Qur'aan, such as prayer, zakaah, etc., or it may give details of things that are mentioned in the Qur'aan in general terms, such as the numbers of rak'ahs in each prayer, the thresholds for paying zakaah, the details of Hajj, etc. It may also explain rulings which are not mentioned in the Qur'aan, such as the prohibition on being married to a woman and her (paternal or maternal) aunt at the same time.
Allaah revealed the Qur'aan to His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and commanded him to explain it to the people, as He said (interpretation of the meaning):
"And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad) the Dhikr [reminder and the advice (i.e. the Qur'aan)], that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought"
[al-Nahl 16:44]
The hadeeth of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is a revelation (wahy) from his Lord. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Your companion (Muhammad) has neither gone astray nor has erred.
Nor does he speak of (his own) desire.
It is only a Revelation revealed"
[al-Najm 53:2-4]
